Promise of a Lifetime
by Sky Blossom
Summary: Hey Blondie can you promise me one thing?" Sometimes a promise is your last strand of hope. "And hopefully, one day, we can meet in another life." Maybe we don't make promises to find hope, but to bind us to someone who will give us it. "It's a promise."


The soft rays of light washed over the field of wheat, lighting it ablaze with dark red and soft golden hues. They crept up the hill and danced on the dark emerald green leaves that lay perched on a mighty oak; its gnarled trunk twisting until it stood rooted to the parched ground. The sky was painted vibrant colors of red, orange, violet, and finally a deep indigo blue; and just where the last beams of light touched new, shimmering lights came out to play.

Perched on the rugged branches of the ancient oak two cloaked figures lazed nonchalantly, bathing themselves in the last of the fading sun's warmth. The velvety black leather of their body-length cloaks all but disappeared into the shadows of the tree's long, out-stretched limbs. Only their faces could be seen from the shade it provided.

Vivid jade eyes slid shut as contentment slipped onto one of the men's sharp facial features. The tall, lanky figure lay sprawled across the branch which he had claimed. His high, chiseled jaw relaxed as a small smile came over his thin lips, instead of its trademark smirk. Locks of fiery red hair spiked out behind his pale complexion, falling just shy of the two shoulder blades that seem to stick out of the piece of cloth concealing them at times. The strangest, yet most alluring part of the young man, however, was not his unusual hair coloring or the fervid gleam that always lay in his eyes. It was what was just below them; two tattooed purple tear drops, rotated upside down that clashed with his pale skin.

A small, barely audible hum jarred the resting man from his half-sleeping state.

As his eyelids fluttered open once more, cat-like eyes ghosted over towards his companion. They took in his creamy white skin that seemed to glow as honey colored shafts of light showered over him. A miniscule smile had overcome his younger companions' face, just like his own, replacing the frown that frequented it instead. The red-head's partner was indeed still young, his round face still bearing a child-like appearance; and a small, undefined body rested beneath the piece of dark leather. Vehement cerulean orbs gazed intently at the setting, bloated yellow sphere. His obstinate straw colored hair was swept up to the right in unruly spikes.

"When do you think we should get going?" a soft voice slipped past the blonde's lips.

The one whom he had been addressing gave a slight stretch and arched his back, cracking several vertebras along his spine at the same time, before letting out a satisfied sigh. "What's the rush Blondie, it's not like we get to just relax like this every day."

At that the pair of cerulean painted eyes casted down to the ground, while the jade ones peered at him intensely. "I know," he paused for a moment to glance up briefly, "it's just." He fumbled for the proper words to convey his feelings to his friend.

"Are you scared?" The silky voice reached out and touched the blonde's ears.

Casting his eyes to the ground once again, his hand fisted the fabric of the cloak before he gave a meek nod to the other.

"Hey don't worry about it ok?" The jade-eyes man slipped off the branch he had been occupying and nimbly jumped down to the one the bashful blonde rested on. Sliding down next to him, the red-head draped a long, thin arm around the boy's shoulders and drew him close to his side. "You know Blondie you're my first friend in a long, long while. I would die before I let them touch you."

Said blonde glanced up at the grinning face before offering a small smile, "You know, I'm going to hold you to that now."

The man gave a small laugh and ruffled the blonde's soft, naturally spiked hair before resting his eyes on the last sliver of sun. Moments later the only light came from the shimmering stars that waltzed above their heads.

"You know, we all end up there one day Blondie." The man mused.

"Really?" his companion replied skeptically.

"Yes really, my old man told me. You know what I bet he's up there right now watching over the two of us." Blue eyes flickered up to watch his older friend's face. As he gazed up at the velvet sky, a gleam of nostalgia danced like a flame in his eyes.

"What did he tell you?" The younger of the two questioned.

"Well he took me out one day just after my mom passed away, to a tree just like this, and asked me if I missed my old mom and if I wished she would come back. Of course I said yes, any kid who was in their right mind would miss their mom, and want to see her again. But he shook his head at me and said, 'That's about the worst thing you can do, dwell on the past and wish for things that will never happen.'

I didn't understand at first, until he pointed up at all the stars. My old man said that each star out there was a soul, a spirit that once inhabited a body here on this world. He looked me right in the eyes then, and said that they would stay up there as long as people down here regretted their death and held sorrow in their heart for them." The red-head peaked down at this small friend only to see wide spheres peering back up at him, urging him to go on.

"I asked him what would happen if no one regretted that they died and were actually happy for them and he just smiled at me before replying, 'They fall.' I didn't get that much either, so he explained. 'When the soul dies it drifts up into the sky where it shines brightly down on the earth. But the soul is restless up in the sky. All it wishes is to die peacefully, to stop shining up in the night sky. But it can't die when the people he loved, loves, want him. They pray every night for him to come back, to still be alive with them. They are in anguish, and so is that soul.'

'But when the people who he loved accept his death and move on willingly, but will always hold him close to their hearts in memory, he can die peacefully. The soul then dies with a smile on his face, falling out of the sky and back down to this world where they can begin another life.' That's why you can see falling stars on clear nights like this one Blondie. That means someone has finally aloud another to die happily, at ease. Or something like that, my old man said it better than I did"

The younger of them gazed up at the glittering blanket that covered the sky, "So each time we see a falling star it's really a spirit coming back to live again?"

"Yep, and I know my mom is out there somewhere right now. I just know it. And I bet she's just as happy as I am about that too."

The red-head gave a crooked smile to his friend and ruffled his hair again before his hand was swatted away.

"Hey Blondie, can you promise me one thing?"

"Sure, anything." He replied easily.

"If I do die then please cherish my memory close to your heart, but when you think of me smile. I don't want to be one of those millions of stars ensnared up there because of the pity and suffering of someone down here."

Deep cerulean eyes softened as he gave a slight nod, "Alright, I promise when you die that I will let you become a falling star."

"And hopefully, one day, we can meet in another life."

"It's a promise." Blonde spikes nodded before they were unwillingly disheveled further.

Two pairs of eyes turned back towards the raven black sky and watched as the stars, the spirits, danced and sparkled to an unknown melody. As a flash of light streaked across the sky, little did they both know that promise would be one to bind them together for an eternity.

As the harsh darkness of the night slowly turned into the pastel light of dawn an explosion rippled through a disserted country side.

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**Hope you guys liked it =) Review, favorite, what ever, and if you want to flame be gentle =P **

_~Sky Blossom_


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